This recipe is easy and delicious to make at home. Braised Abalone with Sea Cucumber is a great dish to serve
During the first few months of 2008, I wrote a version of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. I put the foods that the Chinese eat into four groups.
People in China like to eat expensive food, like Abalone, fish maw, geoduck, hairy crab, and so on.
My high school friend sent me a package with dried South African Abalone, sea cucumber, and Japanese dried scallops. I had never tried to make these foods at home before.
As soon as I saw how much they care package was and how much I always wanted braised Abalone and sea cucumber, I knew it was time for me to learn how to cook these Chinese delicacies from the best.
My uncle sent over the detailed instructions for the braised Abalone with sea cucumber, and we started cooking. It took us four days to cook the abalone and sea cucumber, but it was worth the wait.
In high-end Chinese food, this is one of the best things to eat for people who love abalone and sea cucumber (like me).
And just like with other extreme Chinese foods, the preparation is very detailed, and the result must be pure perfection, just like those foods.
If you don’t know or haven’t tried these ingredients, you might not understand why it took so long to make this dish. They aren’t the most photogenic things.
Abalones and sea cucumbers are two of the most important things in Chinese food.
They’re on the menu’s first page in the most expensive and fancy Chinese restaurants in China and Hong Kong. They have very high prices next to them.
For example, in Irvine, California, a moderately-priced Chinese restaurant is selling the Abalone (just the Abalone) for about $20 per ounce. If you only want to buy one Abalone with some sauce, it will cost you $100.
People who eat braised Abalone with sea cucumber usually pay a lot for it, so what you see in these pictures will probably cost you $500.
You get the gist.
The preparation has four steps:
- When making Chinese stock, you start by soaking the dried Abalone and sea cucumber.
- Then, you wash and clean them thoroughly and adequately.
- Developing the top Chinese stock
- Cook the Abalone and cucumber on low for a long time.
Then it takes 4 days.
I had to try a lot to make this braised abalone and sea cucumber recipe, but it was worth it in the end!
I was in Chinese cuisine nirvana after the first mouthful of abalone and sea cucumber and the first taste of the exquisite sauce.
There was another abalone, and then another one. I ate all of them, as well as the two sea cucumbers and the two small scallops. It felt like I had the best food ever when I ate that.
At 333 calories each, this recipe is very low-caloric. I’d like to show you these recipes to make a healthy meal and a quick weeknight dinner.
INGREDIENTS:
- South African dried Abalone.
- dried Deep Sea Cucumbers from South Africa
- 1 knob ginger, 3 stalks of scallion, with the roots removed.
- 8 dried Japanese scallops were rinsed with water before being used.
- 4 ounces (115 g) florets of broccoli
- In this case, cornstarch and water were added together.
- Chicken stock.
- Remove the skin from a stewing hen and cut it into big pieces with a knife.
- 1 pound (0.4 kg) pork spare ribs that have been cut into riblets
- 4 ounces (115 g) Pieces of Chinese ham (or Virginia ham) cut into small pieces.
- Five quarts of water
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Do this for 24 hours with the dried Abalone. You should clean and brush your teeth and cook the Abalone in boiling water for about 15 minutes on the next day. Pour water into a pot and turn off the heat. Cover the pot and let it cool down for a few hours. Another time, clean and brush the Abalone, remove the tail end of the Abalone, and throw away any impurities. Then soak in clean cold water for another 10 hours or overnight.
- During this time, soak the sea cucumbers overnight in a clean pot with no oil. Boil a big pot full of water tomorrow. Sea cucumbers are ready to be put in. Turn off the heat and put them in. It’s time to cover the pot and let it sit for a while until the water is cool. Repeat the mentioned process 3 to 4 times until the sea cucumbers are soft enough to eat. Then, clean each sea cucumber by following the steps in this list: There are pictures 1 and 2. There are pictures 3 and 4.
- Make sure the water in the pot is at least 1 gallon. Take out the sea cucumber and cut it into pieces. Add the ginger and scallions and cook them on low heat until they are soft enough to use in the dish.
- Prepare the dried ingredients while you make the Supreme Chicken Stock. Deep pot: Bring the water to an almost rolling boil. It’s time to add the meat. Bring it up to a boil. Then reduce the fire to low heat and continue to boil and simmer until all of the flesh has fallen off the bones and the stock has a delicious flavor (about 8 hours). Keep the supply and throw away the garbage. The stock can be stored in the refrigerator. You may also put it in the freezer.
- When you’re ready to cook, put around 3-4 cups of Supreme Chicken Stock, Abalone, sea cucumbers, and scallops in a smaller stockpot, bring to a boil, then let it simmer for a few minutes. After turning the heat to low, allow the Abalone to simmer until the Abalone is soft but not rubbery and the stock has absorbed the essence and flavor of the Abalone (10 to 12 hours). To see if it’s done, use a chopstick to poke through and get a sense of how it feels. People who eat sea cucumbers should check on them often because they cook faster than Abalone. The sea cucumbers are done when they are soft and jiggly. Take them out of the pot and put them in a different place. Add them back and heat them right before you serve them. DO NOT overcook the sea cucumbers because they will turn into a gel-like texture if you do.
- To serve, quickly cook the broccoli florets in hot water. Drain and put away. Mix corn starch and water and add some soup bases to thicken it. Prepare your dish by placing the sea cucumbers and broccoli on a serving plate. Then, drizzle the sauce over the whole thing. Serve right away.